Cracking the Mask
by Longstockingz
Summary: He always tried so hard to push people away, to protect his heart from getting his broken again. He claimed that he only tolerated her, but she knew they were so much more than that. Some angsty Nawn for Nawn Apprecation Weekend. Inspired by Katy Perry's Unconditionally. Cover by EvaHeartsYou of dA.


**So Nawn Appreciation Weekend officially begins today, so here's my first submission.**

 **Found this in one of my oneshots sub-folders.**

 **Inspired by Katy Perry's _Unconditionally._ I know I've already done a Nawn oneshot to the same song, but I actually wrote this one first, didn't like how it turned out, wrote another one, and never got around to fixing this one up until this week.**

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Like a ghost she seemed to glide as she made her way through the halls of Wawanakwa Academy, a melancholy smile on her lips as she passed one of her friends, Zoey, who looked at her with a concerned expression. A slight wave of her hand kept the redhead from leaving her date's side as the blonde continued on down the hallway.

Switching her shoes into her other hand, she continued on her way through the foyer, her hand pressing against the metal bar as she pushed the door open.

A cool breeze greeted her, gently ruffling her wavy locks. The concrete steps were cold underfoot, but she paid it no mind as she moved to the railing, gracefully descending the steps in the moonlight.

"It's okay, you know." She said softly as she sat down beside him.

His head in his hands, he said nothing, keeping his back angled slightly towards her as if to block her out.

"I know she hurt you," She said, her voice barely a whisper as she moved her hand to touch his shoulder, but changed her mind and dropped her hand back to her lap. "But I'm not trying to do that, I swear it."

He remained silent.

"You don't have to be afraid." Dawn told him, and still received no response from him. After a few moments, she shivered from the chill in the night air and cast a longing glance up at the entrance of the school.

"You can go." He told her coolly, finally breaking the silence. "I don't need you."

Her breath caught in her throat at his harsh words, and her voice wavered when she spoke. "Please stop pushing me away; I care for you far more than you even think possible."

He recoiled, still refusing to look at her. Her lips pursed, she waited a moment, then nodded and got to her feet.

She was nearly halfway up the staircase when he spoke again, his voice cracking with the emotion he always tried so desperately to hide behind a mask of neutrality and disinterest. "Do you mean that?"

She turned to face him, descending a single step. "Of course. I would never lie to you."

He nodded and turned away from her once more, putting his head in his hands.

In silence, she descended once more and sat beside him, linking her arm with his and resting her chin on his shoulder. "You're one of the most interesting people I've ever met."

He didn't respond.

"You know," She whispered to him. "You have a beautiful aura."

It had taken her months to get a proper reading on his aura, but it had been completely worth it.

They sat in silence for several minutes, Dawn silent as Noah's body trembled beside her. There was so much fear that he tried to hide under a mask of sarcasm and a witty rhetoric; his past was a lot to bear. She didn't mind though – they all had their bad experiences and everyone had their own way of coping.

His was to pretend like he didn't care in the slightest, like it never bothered him. To hold it all in and to push away anyone who got too close. He'd pushed her away, but she was insistent, so he acted like he merely tolerated her, but she knew that their relationship was far deeper than that. As much as he did pretend to brush her off as the crazy psychic girl, she could sense that he accepted her as a fellow intellectual, even if he did think her belief system was preposterous.

"I'm sorry." He finally whispered, withdrawing his arm from her grasp.

"You don't have to apologize," She said, reaching out to take his hand in her own. "Everyone has baggage, and everyone has to find their own way to move past it. And when you're ready to open your heart again, I'm still going to be here. I'm _always_ going to be here."

And with that, he pressed the back of her hand against his lips. "Thank you."

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 **So there's some vulnerable Noah to kick off Nawn Appreciation Weekend (which is taking place from Nov 11-13 2016, if anyone else is interested in participating)**

 ** **I love to hear what my readers think of my work, so if you've got a moment, please leave a** **review!****


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